Weird Things You Researched for Your Erotica

[Maryn]

Anyone who writes erotic fiction knows it isn't all sexytimes--there has to be a story and solid characters and a setting and all that sort of thing. And that often requires research.

I'm sometimes surprised or amused at the things I need to learn more about to get some detail right. It'll be fun for us to list some of the specific things we needed to research here. (Please, no sexual topics; this is for other research topics.)

I'll start. Today I did some research on the names of the parts of staircases and their railing systems. I found one of the terms I was looking for, baluster, but not the other, the name for the sphere or other decorative shape or finial on top of a newel post. All this for a moment when a character comes down the stairs, bare legs visible through the balusters, and pauses at the bottom, a hand on the top of the newel post, which is contemporary and not likely to be topped with a ball.

Maryn, who may have to take herself online shopping at Houzz or or someplace

 

[Pterofan]

I'm currently doing research on tack and riding implements, because one of my characters is a horse shapeshifter who's into BDSM, but only in his horse form. Spanish bits are a given, but I need to learn the name of that rein that holds a horse's head tight against its neck, and the name of that strap they use/used to use on horses in rodeos to get them to buck, because my character expressed an interest. I think there are hard-rubber spurs but I'll have to doublecheck. I've already discussed the perils of shapeshifters and horseshoes in another thread.

 

[dangerousbill]

Anatomical Differences

I have to be coy, since this is not in the NSFW section.

I spent some hours researching female anatomy (books, dammit) to confirm folklore suggesting there are anatomical differences in female bits that prevent about 75% of women from achieving satisfaction doing the missionary, and prefer other approaches instead. It turns out that there are indeed distinct differences among women, easily measured, that explain why most women can't get there from here easily using the usual methods.

Dangerous Bill

 

[Maryn]

Nicely phrased, sir! I know whereof you speak, yet you didn't say anything likely to offend those who take offense.

 

[JakeSTamer]

For my current work in progress, I spent an afternoon going over the Norwegian coast line on google earth to find a suitable place for a characters home, so the names of the closest towns and city's would be correct. The likely-hood of a mix race of half dwarf and half elf. 5th century Paris France and Norway. Nordic folklore for Freyja and other goddesses. I won't go into it, but since there is one in the story I did research on hermaphrodites. This is the first story I plan on publishing so I've watched countless videos on improving my writing. There's more, but I think these are the ones I spent the most time on.

 

[Maryn]

Yesterday it was Broadway plays that have been on for years. Just a quick throw-away line, but I didn't want to date the work by naming something that was on for three months in 2019 and never performed again.

 

[Maryn]

This was fun--not. Gonorrhea during pregnancy.

 

[Pterofan]

Thanks to Riv for the PM suggestions re: horse accessories. Off to Google!

 

[lilyWhite]

Having never had much trouble myself, I had to research ways in which people can be bad at cooking.

 

[Maryn]

That was probably fun. I know a few people who cannot cook, who say the very simple recipe I shared just didn't come out right. I want video so I can see where they messed up. I suspect substitutions, failure to measure, skipped ingredients, and in the case of this one person, just wandering off to look at some shiny thing.

 

[Maryn]

Yesterday I looked up buckshot and rock salt as means to discourage trespassers. It was not a plot point and nobody shot anybody, just a mention.

Maryn, not familiar with trespassers on two feet unless they're chasing a ball

 

[triceretops]

Well, my source was actually a pixel princess/email female, who I could confess to about my stupidity regarding female fantasies. I learned about tease and foreplay.

However, I had to know what kind of foods and herbs lent themselves to aphrodisiacs. I made a long list and used only ones that I knew might be identifiable.

 

[Maryn]

The location of Arizona's Mogollon Rim. It's north of where I thought, so I'm glad I confirmed it.

 

[Maryn]

Today's search met with failure. I'm looking for a term that I thought might be sea wife but isn't. (A sea wife is apparently a woman whose husband is off at sea, so she's not getting enough loving. Eventually she becomes old and ugly and a sea hag.)

What I'm looking for is the temporary partner a man takes when he is away "at sea," like a worker assigned to a location far from home for several months, who takes up with another person similarly assigned, no money changing hands, nobody a sex worker.

Bueller? Bueller?

 

[dangerousbill]

What I'm looking for is the temporary partner a man takes when he is away "at sea," like a worker assigned to a location far from home for several months, who takes up with another person similarly assigned, no money changing hands, nobody a sex worker.

Isn't this what 'friends with benefits' means?

DB

 

[Maryn]

Yes, but I want something specific to being away from home rather than a pal you bop now and again. Damn it, why isn't it sea wife?

 

[dangerousbill]

Yes, but I want something specific to being away from home rather than a pal you bop now and again. Damn it, why isn't it sea wife?

Go ahead and use the term, defining it in context. Educate your readers.

DB

Urban Dictionary defines it thus:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sea+wife
which is more or less what you supposed.

 

[mf1438]

I've been researching the work of Masters and Johnson. I watched all the episodes of Masters of Sex. I'm focused on the early stages of the response cycle and how our brain connects images and words to trigger arousal.

 

[Maryn]

Later today I did very light research into the Academy Awards. A minor character is likely to be nominated and take an interesting "date" to the awards ceremony. (They're not romantically involved, but you know how people like to jump to conclusions.)

Maryn, somewhat buzzed on red wine

 

[Synonym]

It wasn't exactly research, but it will definately be included as a scene in a current WIP--I went to a hot springs outside of Phoenix in December. No clothing allowed between sunset and sunrise. And, I'm researching the 'coyote' or 'trickster', a central character in Native American lore. I've researched the Lake of the Ozarks in the past, hunting for a secluded spot to be used in a scene. I'm a walking compendium of useless knowledge. lol

 

[Niniva]

I can't remember what all I've researched for my erotica, but I do remember one trek for an author that turned out far too perfect in the end:

I was editing an ex-Marine merc vs. alien story, Ryan Aslesen's Existential. The author had put a katana on Max's wall. But a Marine would never have East Asian steel, since it has too much carbon. Although it holds an edge like nobody's business, it breaks easily, hence the wooden practice swords.

Now I know who does have exceptional steel: the Turks. So I decide to see what they might have that would interest a Marine.

Get this: In commemoration of the Battle of Tripoli, Prince Hamet of the Ottoman Empire gave 1st Lt Presley O'Bannen a mameluke sword, which is still used as the dress sword for Marine officers today, over 200 years later.

That still feels like the biggest win of my career. I knew the katana was wrong, and I knew where to look for a better option, but I never dared dream my find would fit so perfectly with the character's backstory.

WAIT! I know what I had to research for my erotica! A character strode in, sat on my desk, and informed me, "I'm a sadistic sociopath, and I'll be your anti-hero for the foreseeable future." But I didn't know much of anything about the dark side of human nature. We sat down and created a check list of what dark triad traits he had and what he didn't. It took days of digging to get enough information to understand him, and I actually asked a ton of questions of a man who'd undergone the kind of abuse that my character had endured. The whole business was grueling and heartbreaking.

Once I was done, I knew precisely why my character was an asshat and how to make him sympathetic instead of offensive. Though he's often offensive anyway if he thinks it's funny. At least he's much calmer now that he's not so all alone.

 

[Maryn]

For a time I had an asshat avatar, a nice derby superimposed on the backside of Michaelangelo's "David." The site owner fielded lots of complaints about a statue's butt, one of the world's great works of art. She was amused for a while, but it didn't seem fair to make her have to deal with it, so I changed it.

Maryn, waxing nostalgic

 

[Synonym]

For a time I had an asshat avatar, a nice derby superimposed on the backside of Michaelangelo's "David." The site owner fielded lots of complaints about a statue's butt, one of the world's great works of art. She was amused for a while, but it didn't seem fair to make her have to deal with it, so I changed it.

Maryn, waxing nostalgic

Really?? There are times when I honestly don't get this current level of outrage over the mildest things.

I've been exploring a new method of painting and watching tons of YouTube videos. One of the artists decided to respond during her video to a message she'd received, "Stop scraping the paint from your cups!" Apparently, it had a fingernail/chalkboard effect for that person. I don't mind, in fact, I understand the desire to get every last drop of that paint out in order to use it. The artist suggested that particular person find someone else to follow. Actually, all it would take is to turn the sound down as soon as you see her start to clean out the cup. But, no. Not sufficient. All personally offensive activities must stop, now, because. Does that really work in real life? It seems to more and more often.

 

[Coddiwomple]

Today's search met with failure. I'm looking for a term that I thought might be sea wife but isn't. (A sea wife is apparently a woman whose husband is off at sea, so she's not getting enough loving. Eventually she becomes old and ugly and a sea hag.)

What I'm looking for is the temporary partner a man takes when he is away "at sea," like a worker assigned to a location far from home for several months, who takes up with another person similarly assigned, no money changing hands, nobody a sex worker.

Bueller? Bueller?

Out of curiosity I did a little searching and OMG Internet -- I found this lovely compilation of Navy slang. Dunno if the proper term for "sea wife" is in there, but it sure was fun looking. Sixty-seven pages! Including a bibliography!

goatlocker.org/resources/nav/navyslang.pdf

Closest thing I found so far is "base bunny."

(can we all guess what "waxing the dolphin" is? )

 

[dangerousbill]

And, I'm researching the 'coyote' or 'trickster', a central character in Native American lore.

Coyotes are found in Indian legend and folklore from coast to coast, but the exact presentation and attitude to the coyote differs greatly from tribe to tribe. Be cautious to attribute the right beliefs to the right place. I have a book of Hopi legends that has an unusual number of stories involving talking coyotes and very large and very small penises, for example. And if I run over a coyote, I have to be concerned that the coyote's spirit may take over my body.

Sometimes the stories conflate probable truth from probable legend. One was written by a John Holliday, a Navajo, regarding a story his grandmother told him, swearing it to be true. When she was a girl, she became lost. A coyote came near enough to be seen, then trotted away. She followed the coyote, and saw that the animal was waiting for her to catch up. Then it trotted away again, and again, and eventually led her back to her people.